In the immortal words of Franz Kafka on following The Policy of Truth,"Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly." So I'm merely gonna take that advice from Kafka and be as honest here as possible in this post. Remember waaay back in ol' 1987 when the word 'Mannequin'was a movie?
(Oh look!--it's almost like a toe tag she's got on herself there but it's like a pink price tag ankle bracelet, how cute)!
And when the word "mannequin" was just for a giant plastic human figure to exhibit clothing on in a "realistic" fashion that was slightly less creepy than a Victorian Doll for the purpose of selling various attire?
Zhukova has since apologized, said the picture was "art" and somehow "taken out of context"... ...All I know is some rich young white bitch sat down and seemingly was completely oblivious and callous to the fact that once upon a time, an old poor black woman had to sit down (most likely due to exhaustion) in the wrong section of a bus to incite social change and that this, art or not, out of context or not, is appalling. I am incredulous someone made this mannequin into a S&M bondage chair. Just as I am equally disbelieving that the inspiration piece for the above pictured chair is the below pictured chair.
John Lennon's song "Woman Is Nigger Of The World" has never been so aptly apparent or parallel.
(Too bad he abused women sometimes himself).
I can't help but think of the sci-fi classic 'Soylent Green' and how women in the future literally came with the monthly rental of a high-end flat and were so coined as being "furniture" because of this. But this isn't the future and not a sci-fi movie. So why is it currently acceptable to show representations of the female form in sexually submissive and enslavement positions and have them be used as "furniture", especially by the wealthy? Because we're not fucking furniture. We're fucking human beings, so get your damned filthy ape hands off of my human form!!!
But as art, as a work of art what does a mannequin chair of this magnitude suggest? What does the photograph of Zhukova's derriere crowning such a chair suggest? It is proposing that despite race or sex, it is wealth that is the great divider as well as gender among us. That a female typecast as sexually desirable, when coupled with being at a disadvantage--say impoverished--can be perched upon as a novelty item for the rich, as a sex slave for the perverse and it does not matter if she is black or white, it only matters that she is female and she is poor. She is a worthless plaything, a toy, as Lennon lamented, "we paint her face and watch her dance." She is ultimately, an amusement. Entertainment. Devoid of the intricacies of the human spirit.
What's next in the line of home decor for the ultra wealthy?--Mexican Chair People?!
Who knows what 3D printing will bring us in future home design, with the way things are going, certainly not an end to homelessness. This next image you've most likely seen before because it had gone viral. Thus bringing us "home" to--
"--Mannequin tha-reee..."
#3). FULL FIGURED - A Facebook post from Women's Rights Newsof a full figured mannequin in a Swedish clothing store went viral in early 2013 with the sentiment that the U.S. should invest in something similar so a more accurate portrayal of real woman could be used in retail display.
If anything, this image going viral proved that American women are deeply unsatisfied with the over-proliferation of inaccurate physical deceptions of themselves because they are living life in average female forms in a 'reality' where the lie of impossible beauty standards has achieved normalization and the truth leaves normal females feeling abnormally average with their own self-image, so they're displeased, they can communicate with each other and polarize better, given contemporary technologies.
This chaise, for one, will not go quietly. Nor lounge about.
This music video manages to be both riotous and poignant. It weaves between banal adult reality and hyperactive hedonism to such an extent, that there's really no way of telling if the main subject's fantasies are only just that - mere fantasy or reliving a tropical abandon on a recently taken holiday. A tropical abandon that through a myriad of miniature existential crises becomes quite clear is not an escapist life style for our subject but her actual preferred lifestyle choice. The main subject is a rather "thick girl" who's portrayed as both conservative to the point of dour and as an eccentric sexy leopard lady:
Too, too many times, especially in music videos, a woman's appearance is limited to only being sexy or beautiful (or just naked). So it's reeeaaalllllly super refreshing to see a female portrayed as multidimensional and not just by her choice in appropriately themed dress. She's dissatisfied, bored with her so-called office "peers", reeeaalllllly horny, a sexual aggressor even when getting it doggy style (you know, that's how she wanted it), spontaneous, rebellious, funny, inconsiderate, acts on self empowerment to self actualize, she is after-all, a free spirit. As her "To Do List" so aptly spells out for us:
Some could even say that her character is acting just as emboldened as a man.
There is a direct reference to being quixotic when she's dancing in front of windmills and perhaps it is this very characteristic that brings her such misery in her droll workday life. She's a dreamer and her listless job does not reward this attribute in her, but instead punishes her for it. Her therapist gives her no real advice or insight, just increases the dosage on her anti-depressants when she confides that, she feels like she's "trapped in someone else's master plan". (She is, and that plan is embedded in someone else's plan that was an outdated vision of someone else's master plan and so on and so forth with all the embedded layers until it's a clusterfuck we all partake in daily, wandering and wondering just as aimlessly as the lady in this music video).
All of this enforced meaningless of course drives her to going a bit low-key postal at the office, in one of thee best, "I don't give a fuck" scenes of all time:
However it all ultimately just serves as a precautionary tale when after she finally storms out of the office, books a one way ticket to Barbados, and gets smashed literally one nanosecond later by a"2 Late - Rush Delivery" truck.
No Aesop Fable, sure, but still a very raw lesson: sometimes by not risking living life to its fullest your punishment is to die slow, sometimes by risking living life to its fullest your punishment will be to die quickly, but either way, the outcome is the same. None of us are getting out of here alive. So it is truly up to our own individual free wills to choose--do we live as others may have us live and risk the life that could be or do we risk tossing what others would rather have us do in order to fully embrace life?
It's a tough choice sometimes, I know. But I also know this is probably one of my more favorite music videos that I've seen in a very long time, so without further adieu, I present to you the music video for "I Could Be The One."
Melissa Shang's request is just as reasonable as it is honorable. Afflicted with Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a form of muscular dystrophy, it's touching to know that through this deliberate action, she, herself, is actually setting an example of empowerment for many. In particular, other little girls, disabled or otherwise. American Girl dolls are a viable alternative to the-rubbish-one-growth-spurt-away-from-a-landfill dolls that young women are somehow encouraged to play with lately these days, such as:
BRATZ Dolls
Monster High Dolls
Barbie
With American Girls 'Historical Characters', I was actually really disappointed to see that apparently nobody appeared to give the green light on such wonderfully inspirational historical figures as: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, or Anne Frank. So if American Girls needs a little help on who they should design their hopefully future 'Enabled Historical Characters' dolls after per the Shang's sisters request and petition, and consider one of them for 'Girl of the Year' doll, here's four ideas of who could make excellent additions to that new line and surefire 'Girl of the Year' doll contenders: 1). Frida Kahlo - is a Mexican artist that sustained back inquires as a teenager in a trolley accident from which she'd never recover, yet she went on to become one of the most well-known artists of the 20th century. Kahlo also had misshapen leg from contracting polio as a child. As an artist, she is most known for her self-portraits, many that portrayed her in her wheelchair. She was a fierce and passionate artist and this drew the on-going attentions of other famed Mexican artist Diego Rivera--whom she no doubt served as a muse to.
(One of her paintings).
2). Helen Keller - the first blind and deaf person to earn a college degree, she also published 12 books, including her spiritual autobiography, My Religion. Keller was a political activist, a member of the Socialist Party and campaigned heavily for women's and labor rights. She was a lecturer and served on the Alabama state quarter. The woman, Anne Sullivan, who was the impetus to this major change in Keller should also be celebrated!
(Beautiful Helen Keller).
3). Marlee Matlin - a deaf actresses who won an Academy Award for her leading role in the film Children of a Lesser God (1986), still stands to be the ONLY deaf performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role to date.
(Earning that Academy Award).
4). Sudha Chandran - accomplished in India despite losing a leg to infection after a 1981 car accident, she still became a well-known Bharatanatyam dancer, using a prosthetic "Japir foot," which enabled her to become one of the most highly acclaimed dancers in the entire world.
It's difficult for anyone who's got any type of disadvantage to get by in this world let alone for a disabled person to excel in it. So let's honor ALL of these women by signing this petition, retelling their stories, by listening to their accounts of their life experiences, by being inspired - especially by the Shang's that remind us all, to petition with our sisters!
The ether is all abuzz over whether or not these Japanese "Disney Princess Lingerie" items are a Dream Or Nightmare.
Fairly modest lingerie visually, but intellectually, rather disconcerting.
(Yes, "Belle" has been misspelled).
Personally, I'm unwilling to answer: dream or nightmare?-- because that's a very childish way of asking, good or bad? Instead I'd rather ask, how did this get made and to what purpose was it made? Are these being marketed to little girls, pre-tweens, 'tweens, teenagers, young adults, fetishistic adults, furries, fangirls - to whom for purchase? Was there such a large demand necessitating supply? Frisky writer Winona Dimeo-Ediger gushes over the bras and even asks, ..."any guys reading: do you dig the sexy princess look?" I say if the dude does, keep him away from your princess crazed daughters. There's no denying that there's some weird hypersexualization of Disney Princesses meets Bratz Dollz occurring. All anybody has to do is look to see the transformation of physicalityfor so many princesses. Or Google Images "Disney Princesses Classic/Original" vs Google Images "Disney Princesses 2013" to compare and contrast some of these changes.
Let's put the immediate focus on Snow White. Here she is as originally portrayed in 1944:
And here is Snow White as her more recent 'forever fairy tale' incarnation:
Here is a little girl wearing a contemporary Snow White costume:
I'm sure even the most unobservant eye can discern that over the course of 69 years or so, Snow White has undergone some radical albeit seemingly slight changes. Her simple red bow placed in the center of her crown, is now a bedazzled headband placed cockily at an angle, to enhance a face that certainly alludes to innocence but not youth. The Plasticine innocence seems feigned due to the bow placement. Her heart-shaped neckline hearkens breasts that once upon a time,as a normal 14-year old, Snow White would still be in the process of developing. (That's right, Snow White is supposed to be 14).She's covered in sequins, sparkles, and designs that were not there before. 1944's shoes are gray with with bows and probably had a shorter heel. But now she's more coordinated with her footwear. The extra fabric of her dress spiraling over exposed ankles (most stills from the 1944 animation portray the character with her dress hem covering her feet entirely obscuring her shoes). Tilted head, coy smile, interlocked fingers and hands, all paired with a loose--very unladylike--stance really make present-day Snow White look, well, sexually knowledgeable. Which is the true insult behind the word "slutty-looking", it's a woman looking like she knows what sex is and that she knows that she likes sex. I know these are just cartoons I'm mincing over, at least until you look at the real-life little girl, emulating her cartoon princess fantasy, and it's seen that it's not the character that child is so enchanted by but the ability to be a breathtaking princess. There's no care for woodland critters in this dress-up kit. It's all about superficiality, she's flirting--quite literally--with shallowness. The only red bows adorn her high-heel shoes and scepter, she has a crown on--the key to this play fantasy being fulfilled--and her tiny torso is embellished even further with piping that pantomimes the hourglass figure of a fully developed woman. With a royal crest being used FIVE TIMES to further the perception of being a princess, as if the crown and scepter were not sufficient enough.
Seriously?!--it's over the top! Especially for a child's toy. Especially for child's play.
And why princesses? Why is it SO important to little girls to be something so untenable and unattainable as a princess?! It's one thing to imagine being a princess, it's quite another to profess that indeed, you are one.
(All hail Princess Bitchface)!
It's like Disney is profiting off of setting-up novice parents for failure on how to "properly" rear an adolescent girl. Little girls want to be princesses because of marketing, and marketing child's play is corporate governed gender engineering, and ultimately becomes SOCIAL engineering. Not mere child's play so much, if you think about it like that.
(Excuse me while I get my royal shop on y'all).
Shouldn't our daughters want to be chemists, engineers, doctors, writers, computer programmers, just as much, if not more so, then wanting to be "Disney princesses" or shopaholic sluts?
At first it was fairly jarring to see the "Bell" bra and pantie set until I realized that Hot Topic has a girls lingerie section, not underwear, lingerie. (And for some reason 'tutus' are considered a subcategory of lingerie). So this isn't your run-of-the-mill mom's Victoria's Secret lingerie (which, honestly, should be the only type of lingerie being sold) but lingerie being donned by most likely your 'tween or wannabe 'tween. Every woman knows that the difference between underwear and lingerie is, unseen and seen.
So who the hell is supposed to be seeing this on a GIRL:
(Guess the matching bra and panties would really make the outfit).
I'm not a prude by any means, but the notion this crap is getting purposely marketed to hipster kids as 'lingerie' is sickening. How are they supposed to "celebrate" a sexuality that they don't even comprehended completely yet? How are they supposed to realize that SEX is a minor blip on the radar of life as a whole, and that hormones, disease, aging, and maturing perceptions are going to distinctly impact how they relate to themselves and others not just as sexual beings but as conscious self-aware beings? That's just it, they don't. So why is lingerie like the following being showcased and made available to impressionable youth?
(The jailer stripes must be a visual play on the concept of 'jail-bait' and notice the wordplay of "BANG" and "come" centered on this model of unknown age's ass).
Party-on lovesick indecisive jail-bait that confuses sex with love, and let your ass speak for you in the bedroom. Seriously though, how old are these models showcasing this tawdry filth and does underwear really even need to be displayed on anything other than a mannequin ever?
I remember my first racy pair of underwear were a stolen pair of red thongs that had a crushed red velvet front, with a little red bow at its top, and a sheer red lace back. My high-school boyfriend was overjoyed that Valentine's Day, especially when at the age of 16 or 17, I had the perfect heart shaped ass. But I was no virgin by that particular Valentine's Day and when I did loose my virginity, I was donning an Alfred E. Newman t-shirt, not a stupid red velvet lacy thong.
Kids are going to grow-up and fuck each other, sure. And they probably won't even be wearing underwear when they are fucking, I know. BUT that doesn't mean grown ass adults need to be all sketchy on their ethos and literally market LINGERIE to GIRLS. It's Perverted Capitalism. It's disgusting to see some corporation that gets afforded most of its brand loyalty due to the perceived notions of having pro-family values, make shit like these Disney Princess Hipster Panties sold at JCPenney:
(That's just one "M" away from 'mmm').
What else is bothersome is the literal gender inequality delivered via Hot Topic's underwear categories. The blatant hypocrisy. Boys get to be GUYS, whereas girls stay GIRLS, even when they get to dress like smutty GALS. GUYS get to wear underwear, even push gender boundaries by allowing their hidden bronie to show:
But that's just it, there's no lingerie for males being marketed. There's certainly no lingerie for 'tween or teenage boys being marketed with Aladdin rubbing the "magic lamp" on the front of a boy's lacy G-string. There's not an equality in the hypersexualization of the adolescent American male vs. the adolescent American female. On Hot Topic's website it's just one page of 12 items, all boxers, all under the ONE category of UNDERWEAR for Hot Topic's banal guys. Unlike the FIVE subcategories girls get to deal with under LINGERIE:
- Blackheart Lingerie
- Bras/Bandeaus
- Panties
- Bustiers
- Tutus
It's like the notion of young females being able to wear plain old underwear is somehow old fashioned, instead of just practical. I know there's an extension of childhood occurring in America right now, but in the end, every parent has to ultimately grow-up to ensure that their child doesn't get a replica of their own childhood or a similar childhood even, or forbid a worse life experience, but instead a different childhood, unique to them, a hopefully better childhood then what their parent's experienced. That type of foundation doesn't have a tag on it and isn't sold in retail stores. But our children need a better childhood, both sexes, so our species can advance together, not stagnate together, with a pink plastic rhinestone tiara on top of our budding fashionista's collective head just so some shareholder can pick up another eight-ball of coke Friday night. Where's the advanced humanity in that, Disney?!
(Anyone else out there identifying with this graffiti stencil right now?)
MC Lars was right, indeed, Hot Topic is NOT punk rock:
We as human beings need to recognize that anatomy is not our singular destiny. Human beings have far more anatomical similarities then differences. There's got to be a commonality to ensure the common good. Our "souls" are all sexless and colorless and classless. We have to hope that during this Communications Revolution that we find ourselves in, there will be an accompanying period of enlightenment, that with the power of social media, we'll actually witness an end to gender altogether. Both issues that Johanna Blakley and Alice Dreger outline in the following TED Talks:
Johanna Blakley: Social Media and the End of Gender.
There's something really, really,really disturbing about this. Something that says chump and cheap, yet is magically garish simultaneously. I hate it. I hate that Disney is cashing in--yet again--on their contrived and manipulated notions of romance even further than they've already cashed in on it and what they've already spoon fed to mold tender minds on what love is, and on what "true love" consists of. It makes me vomit a little in my mouth. Almost as much as shitty overpriced white dresses with "Disney Princesses" names on them to get touted as special "collections" and make you into yet another walking cash cow while you embark on your fantastic suburban fantasy of heterosexual bliss in virginal white even though your hymen broke at 13 during a family reunion. Truly, after browsing through the website www.disneyweddings.com - I am disturbed...
(True love conquers all).
...I mean this Sleeping Beauty Style 218 wedding gown isn't even white.
To ring in the new year, figured it might be fun to share some amazing, yet relatively unknown, covers and or remixes of their more notorious originally released songs. #1). "Under My Thumb" (cover The Rolling Stones) by La Roux happens to be a wonderful female cover of "Under My Thumb", where the gender of the subject is not dependent on that of the singer's. Typically, whenever I've heard a female cover of this song, the sex of the subject gets changed to "he" and I feel that that ultimately taints the depth of these lyrics. It's a song being sung by an abuser in a relationship, someone who has gained control over another person that they felt they used to be controlled by. It's not a love song. It's the antithesis of a love song. However the La Roux cover is really melancholy, not smug like The Rolling Stones version. You get the sense in the La Roux rendition that there's an element of regret in gaining this control. It's also less rock 'n' roll and more electronica. Lend an ear:
#2). "No Diggity (Cooler Than Now Remix)" as made famous by Blackstreet. Simple changes in a big way, the sexiness of the original eros melts away to reveal a more apparent torturous infatuation in this version. Slower, sullen, there's a craving. The woman he's singing about is not a conquest won just yet, instead it seems like he's trying to convenience himself that he has the confidence to win her requited desire. And if you really tune in to the lyrics, that's what the original was about too, it's just the way the track was laid, you think he's already got it 'bagged up', so to speak, with this woman of his admiration. It's not really obvious in the original that he's singing about desiring desire. It is delightfully very obvious in this version however, so I'm compelled to share it with you now, but it's unfortunately not on YouTube (that I can find). You would be able to find it on Spotify if you were really curious (be curious). As a substitute, please accept this electro-swing "Minimatic Remix" of "No Diggity" instead. For lack of a better descriptor, it's very 'steampunk' and every time I hear it, I expect to be seeing my boyfriend playing BioShock. Honestly, I don't really LOVE this remix so much but I don't hate it either, it's very interesting and makes a great stand-in for the elusive "Cooler Than Now Remix".
#3). "Rock You Like A Hurricane" as interpreted by The Veronicas, made famous by the Scorpions. Wow. This song is obviously about a musician that's in it for the fame, money, and groupie pussy. The original lyricist was so damn self absorbed about what a great performer they were, they actually wrote lyrics about it, and sang it. Outlining how sexual conquests were a major fueling payoff for being a rock star and that women are completely disposable bitches that want inches from his dick. Don't get mad at me. This shit got played on the radio. I hate the original for all those concepts. Seriously, "rock you like a hurricane" means "forcibly fuck you wet". But The Veronicas' cover?--unveils the underlying bullshit macho sexpot messiah themes in this crappy song so very well, that the twins, in my humble opinion, actually MAKE the song. Are you ready to be rocked like a hurricane?
#4). "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" made illustrious by The Proclaimers (speaking of twins), entirely redone by Kendra Morris, featured on Morris's 2013 sophomore album Mockingbird. Mockingbird is nothing but covers and is definitely worthy of acquiring. Morris really is tremendously talented. She's also the reason why I now want a Sharp GF-777! The woman has the soul of a poet and I hope she gets the notoriety she deserves. Other noteworthy tracks from Mockingbird would be: "Space Oddity", "Miss You", and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and "Karma Police", and "Black Hole Sun", and the whole entire album basically. But I choose to feature Morris's "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" because it's such a rebirth of the original, it makes the original embryonic. Morris does a brash guttural rasta duet of "I'm Gonna Be" that's so damn inventive, it's authentic in its own right.
If you want to hear some of Morris's own songs, I suggest "Evil" and "Here" to get a better scope on her stellar range.
#5). "Ain't That Peculiar" made famous by Marvin Gaye, but made bluesy jazzy magic as reinterpreted by Chocolate Genius. And boy, is Chocolate Genius, a fucking musical genius! I love this man's work, he's so raw, honest, and his voice is like wet suede drying in the sun. This was supposedly Harvey Pekar's (writer of American Splendor) favorite song. I had actually never heard Marvin Gaye's version until recently and I was aghast. Sung too fast and happy by Gaye, it's truly miraculous that C.G. managed to do what he did, which was sing like a lovelorn fool submerged under water. He truly highlights how peculiar love is, especially when the person you're so madly in love with is actually a bad person to even have in your life let alone be in love with (we've all been there, amirite?). The blog template won't let me insert C.G.'s one, for whatever reason, even though it is on YouTube so click here if ya wanna hear. (And you really do want to hear it) but Gaye's version will be featured instead:
#6). "The House of the Rising Sun" indeed made famous by The Animals, be that as it may, Sinead O'Conner does a haunting rendition that is a MUST HEAR for any music aficionado.
#7). "Seven Days" surly made famous by Craig David but is an absolute gem redone by Zoot Woman. It's actually one of my favorite songs and is unfortunately typically rather difficult to unearth from the ether. So thank gods for SoundCloud and account user Harlock5555 for providing a way to hear the Zoot Woman's astounding "Seven Days".
#8). "Slow Ass Jolene" is actually Dolly Parton's "Jolene" but at a slowed down r.p.m. which almost makes it sound like an old woman is pleading with a younger beauty to seek out any man that she may acquire since Jolene can only ever hope to love and obtain this one man. Truly on the cusp of disturbing, it's a musical experience one would not want to exclude themselves from undergoing.
#9). "Hey Ya" as covered by Obadiah Parker is truly remarkable. It really helps one give heed to the tragedy of premature parenthood coupled with immature love and how it affects immediate family relationships that OutKast's doesn't seem to really marinate in.
#10). "I Want You"as written and song by Elvis Costello but preformed by the magnificent Fiona Apple to such an insightful extent, it'll render goosebumps.
#12). "Llorando" aka ("Crying") - Rebekah Del Rio does a commanding Spanish performance of Roy Orbison's classic and gets featured in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive for one of the greatest cinematic mindfucks ever. Del Rio gives a personal account of the transformative power this song had on her as a performer, here.
#13). "Say My Name (Cyril Hahn Remix)"is Destiny's Child ALL tripped out! I hope I hear it one year at The Burning Man Festival.
#14). "Bloodbuzz Ohio"originally done by The National yet when covered by Julia Stone, it brilliantly outshines the pioneer recording. The lyrics break your soul as well as your heart. Seems fitting it's about the heartland. Supposedly all the members of The National were from Cincinnati, Ohio, hence the need to return to their "blood". It's a song about regret, hopelessness, despair, disenchantment, and poverty. It's almost an impossibility that both The National and Julia Stone are singing the exact same lyricsbecause they do not seem to be referencing a similar human experience at all.
Still, that's the beauty of song, and it does have a power to unify, to expand consciousness. Let's hope this sets the tone of the new year, unifying and enlightening many.
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